NBC News: Ann Curry To Report On Humanitarian Crisis In Bangui

Is this the big assignment NBC News was referencing when it denied a report it would not renew Ann Curry‘s pricey contract? The news division said today Curry will report from Bangui in the Central African Republic for tonight’s NBC Nightly News, on NBCNews.com, on Curry’s YouTube channel, and on tomorrow’s Today. The announcement comes a couple days after a report surfaced that NBC News would not renew Curry’s $12 million contract; Curry segued into that contract after she exited as co-anchor of the network’s morning infotainment series, which has been trying to recover from the image problem it created ever since. At the start of this week, NBC News unveiled some of its plans to get Today back on its feet, including a new “Rise to Shine” tagline to help viewers forget its bungled dumping of Curry.

Curry, who is now NBC News’ National and International Correspondent and Anchor at Large, will report on the fighting between Christian and Muslim militias that has intensified in the Central African Republic, leaving 2.2 million people in dire need of assistance. Curry will focus her reporting on the unfolding humanitarian crisis, with stories about families in displacement camps, violence against women and children, and the thousands of children separated from their parents or forced into combat.